Doing Business Anywhere, Anytime

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As previously announced, Charlie Grantham and I were featured in a webinar yesterday that was hosted by PC Magazine and sponsored by Citrix Online. Michael Krieger represented PC Magazine and acted as moderator. We were also joined by Eric Bensley of Citrix Online.

The topic was “Corporate Agility: Doing Business Anywhere, Anytime.” A recording of the webinar, including both our slides and our voiceover, is available at this link (it will open in Windows Media Player). [continue reading...]

Happy Earth Day

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This is a day to celebrate our progress towards a sustainable future and think hard about how far we have yet to go. As I said here almost two years ago, “The Future of Work Will be Green.” I may be an eternal optimist, but I do believe we’re making progress.

There’s an intriguing story in today’s San Francisco Chronicle (“Net tool tracks carbon footprint by ZIP code“) describing a new web application developed by Cisco Systems. [continue reading...]

You Know Darn Well the Future of Work Involves Telecommuting

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Especially right now, telecommuting is one of the best ways for both companies and individuals to save money and time, and to improve productivity. It’s well documented, and I’ve been posting here for a long time about the cost savings, productivity gains, and increases in employee engagement (which translates into increased attraction and retention).

And of course, I’m not alone. Just last week Business Week ran an article called “Telecommuting:  Once a Perk, Now a Necessity.” I also wrote about that article here, not only because it’s such an important perspective, but because it featured some good friends of ours at SCAN Health, Dennis Eder and Eve Gelb.

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Happy Birthday, Worldwide Web!

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Thanks to my friend Jessica Lipnack (author of the Endless Knots blog) for reminding me:   the web was “born” twenty years ago this month (and it seems like it’s been here forever…). Tim Berners-Lee’s seminal article was published in March of 1988. And what a ride it’s been!

Jessica pointed me to an insightful article from the Boston Globe last week:  “Woven deep into our lives,” by Hiawatha Bray. [continue reading...]

Want to Jump-Start the Economy? Send Everyone Home

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Well, maybe not that easy. But also not that surprising.

I just received a press release from Kate Lister and Tom Harnish of Undress4Success about a new telecommuting calculator and analysis they’ve just completed (Undress4Success is both their website and a new book due out within a week or two).

Here’s their lead:

San Diego, CA (USA), March 10, 2009—A new Telework Savings Calculator shows that U.S. companies alone could add over $260 billion a year to their bottom line, and consumers could collectively save $228 billion—that’s between $2,500 to $11,000 a year each. Uncle Sam could save another $14 billion. How? By sending people home.

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How Does Social Networking Affect Your Health?

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It’s actually an important, but unresolved, question.

I am as enthusiastic about social networking technologies and their ability to connect us with friends and colleagues all over the planet as the next person, but Marc Van Eeckhoudt just sent me an article that is sobering at best, and actually more than a little disturbing.

It’s just been published in Biologist, a British magazine:  “Well Connected? The Biological Implications of Social Networking.”

The core message in the article:  more and more people are becoming “loners,” and that’s really dangerous for their health. Unfortunately it is not clear from this article whether or not people who rely primarily on electronic means of communication can overcome those health risks.

I’m really not sure after reading the article if collaborative technologies are a way to overcome social isolation, or if they may in fact be a primary cause of it.

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How Much Does “Free” Information Cost?

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I almost hesitate to wade into what appears to be becoming a raging debate on the web about whether “information wants to be free” and how long we can keep taking advantage of the media’s willingness to offer just about all the news that fit to print (and much that’s not) – for free.

But I believer that at the core of this debate are several really important issues and choices that could end up affecting all of us who work for a living – and especially those of us who are trying to guide the world into a more humane, more productive model of the future of work.

As nearly as I can tell from my quick review of the blogosphere (and the rest of the web), the debate was launched by Walter Isaacson, former Managing Editor of Time Magazine and now President of the Aspen Institute. His article,  “How to Save Your Newspaper,” was Time’s cover story on February 5.

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Telecommuting is the Newest Perk – and Cost-Reduction Strategy

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There’s a great new story just published today in Business Week detailing how some organizations are turning to “telecommuting” and flexible work programs as a way to reduce costs and retain employees in these difficult times.

The article (“Telecommuting: Once a Perk, Now a Necessity“), by Michelle Conlin (editor of BW’s Working Life Department), highlights how SCAN Health Plan, BDO Seidman, and Capital One are using flexible work options to cut real estate costs significantly.

The really encouraging side of the story, though, is how many employees relish the reduction in commute times and the rebalancing of their lives (no surprise to us, but still a benefit that’s not widely enough recognized).

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